Hammond B3

Have to learn the drawbars but this is the BEST thing since fast women!

Percussion and vibrato / chorus rock. I had Goff rebuild my B3 and they added controls for Chorus and perc volume that make a HUGE difference. My B3 screams through a Goff Leslie 122. Everybody wants to see it up close and some people dare to play it.

Nothing close to a real tonewheel generator that has new filter caps and other mods to scream like crazy. It gives the word 'expressive' new meaning.

I gig with my B3 and Leslie, but I also have Goff road cases that are bomb proof. My 122 case even has mike inputs and extra space so it doesn;t even have to come out of the case. Awesome. Al Goff is the best.

No one better than Goff. They help everyone as if we were all the best pros. Family stuff just like they say.

Find a good B3 and Leslie 122 while they are still around. C3's and A-100's are also great and can be used as parts for a B3 if you have one.

I'm a guitarist, I play original music. My Keyboard Player has 2 Motifs and a Triton, his Hammond sounding patches sound like a great recording of a Hammond, but in a live setting it's either to loud or to far back in the mix. He has a C3 and a B3 chopped up in a crappy case in storage, this has been the story for the 4 years I've jammed with him.

So finally I broke down and got a L-102(This is about a B3 I promise) for him to play in my studio/jamroom. Keeping an eye out for a Leslie I happened upon a B3 with a Leslie 22H on accident for $1200. I couldn't afford it, but I couldn't afford not to get it. I could ill afford it, if you will.

Since having this(actually starting with the L, I haven't been able to focus on any guitar playing. For several months I been frustrating my self trying to play standards, lessons and exercises from books. Over the week end I threw that out the window. And discovered the B3 is an instrument that no KB book can teach you to play.

Since I'm a composer of my original music, why was I trying to play other peoples stuff. So I spent the day transposing my grooves, and being inspired to embellish them on the B3 and almost instantly, I was playing music that made since. A Hammond B3 is a musical extension of your self. If you approach it that way, you'll have better results than trying to hash out "Down by the old mill stream".

I'm moving around the Keyboard now and writing some intelligent riffs, meh my left hand bass is coming along. In my 39 years, I have never been able to do that on any other keyboard. I've owned keyboards for convenience of other musicians through out the years. This is the first one I've been able to play. That's why I give it a 10. It is a very expressive instrument. People that created their own style and method are the best players, IMHO.

Poly want a Phony? It's in there!!
Does it have built in effects, no the player does. As I was aclimating to the keyboard, I discoverd all kind of wonderfull ways of getting different sounds just by the way I roll my hand over a key, sliding down from the top manual, landing on the same chord on the lower, cutting off the lesslie doing a "WOW" on the top just as I engage the Leslie again.
When so called "Effects" can have that much Mojoe, I buy a rack full. Though I suppose one would call the Leslie, Vibrato, and Chorus effects, they are as vital of a part a B3, as frets are to a guitar. So I'd hardly call them effects.

I haven't done it to my B yet, but on the L, I ran a line out into a Behringer Ultramizer effects processor. I bought that unit to use with my PA, but found it to cheesy. How ever what it does the tone wheel sound is priceless. There is to much Polyphony going on for the effect like ring modulation/flanger/chorus/Delay/envelope to complete munge and distort but it colors the sound just perfectly. I can't wait to get a better unit and do the same for my B. The extra sounds it affords is great with out being over kill. As the same rig I described we ran the Motif with a 888880000 sounding patch on it, and the sound it produced was unrecognizable as a hammond sound. Not so with a real hammond.

I can express my self on it nuf said.

With out a doubt, you can depend on a Hammond. All it takes to bring one from the dead is a squirt of oil. What else on this green earth can you say that about?

I doubt there is one single "Electric" item at Guitar center that will still be operating in 50 years. Or if it was put in storage for twenty years, will fire right up and work? A 50 year old i-Pod will be a hysterical sight I'm sure.

They call me "Nobody" Nobody can fix it like I can. Or for what I'm willing to pay. Actually know most of what I needed to know perusing the online Hammond resources while I was getting my L102 up and going. They are tight nit group, best read through all the resources, take the advice obtained in there. And only post questions you didn't see covered in the archives. They really don't answer questions that have been covered extensively for people to lazy to research it. So as a result, by the time I got my B, alot of questions I would have had, was already answered.

It's too damn heavy is the only negative thing I could possibly say about it. That's why I still have the L102.

I have a late model B-2, a BV and an A. They all sound great and are easy to use.

They are what they are but, I added Trec II Percussion to each to really give them the classic Hammond sound.

The B-2 and BV, when upgraded with percussion, are essentially B-3's. The B-2 has smooth drawbars so there is no difference once percussion is added. The BV has the rachet type drawbars and you can't split the vibrato/chorus between the manuals. It's either all on or all off. But other than that, the BV is essentially a B-3 too.

The A, made in 1935, has a brighter tone overall. It has a Tremulant instead of vibrato/chorus. And while it is not a real good substitute, in a typical loud band situation, it works just fine. I added percussion and I would say the A delivers 85% of the B-3 sound and of course it looks nearly the same.

All three have never failed to start or make it through a gig... ever! And I have accidentally left the BV on for more than 24 hours and it was just fine. Not bad for things built in 1935, 1946 and 1954!

I use a local tech for support, Bill Axman at Alltek Organ Service in Los Angeles. He is awesome and affordable.

I wanted a Hammond B my whole life and it has been God's blessing to have a really nice BV at home now and a B-2 & A to gig with.

The A is a real sleeper. It weighs about 100lbs less than the B-2 and is 6" narrower. On stage, it looks identical to a B-3 to all but the most trained eye. Because of its lighter weight and slightly narrower case, I can actually load it myself in a Toyota mini-van fairly easily. I bought it for $600 on ebay and put $400 in repairs, Leslie connections and percussion into it. So for $1,000 [less than any clone], I have the sound and stage presence of the mighty B-3 for a fraction of the cost and a fraction of the effort to move it around. I take that A almost everywhere. If I were just getting into the Hammond thing for a band situation, that's the organ I would start with. It's cheap, reliable, sounds great, looks awesome like a B-3, and is even somewhat portable. People are always coming up and checking it out. Mine was built in 1935 and still looks and sounds great!

A real B3 is hard to judge with ease of use, as I would say "clones" would be more of a thing to judge ease of use, since we hammond players base ease of use on the ORIGINAL Organ consoles. I love my B3, and I honestly have a hard time playing clones, as I'm so used to controls/leslie switch/drawbars being in different places other than the original, so given my organ is 50 years old, yes, it's easy!

Full Polyphony, which some clones lack. The action on my B3 is original, and very tight since it was never played/abused. Features Hammond percussion switches 2nd/3rd harmonics, and full vibrato/chorus. TUBE PREAMP!!! I don't care how portable clones are, and how "close" they sound to the original...nobody can, or ever WILL convince me to go digital. I'll gladly move my 400lbs organ myself!

My organ has a very strong preamp, and sounds much nicer than my B2, although some would argue the B2's sound much warmer, but my B3 sounds fantastic. I have the preamp cranked a bit, for more growl. And of course, the TUBES have a major part of providing such a great tone. What can I say....it's a Hammond organ!

Hmm...this is a knock on wood issue. I don't gig my B3 - she's retired to the living room, but I take out my B2, and for the life of me, I've NEVER (knock on that wood twice) had any issues with it. Never blown tubes, no generator problems, ect. As long as you maintain a Hammond, no matter how the physical condition, or age, they are extremely reliable organs! Carry spare tubes, leslie belts, and some oil with you, and have a backup leslie cable! I've snapped 2 of them!

Hammond Organ Company out of Chicago is no longer....was history in mid 70's. However, I have a local Hammond Tech (Jim Fitch)- hope he doesn't mind me using his name, but he rocks! He's quick, and he knows how to tailor an organ to your needs. If you need service, usually VintageHammond.com has some refferences.

I found this lovely B3 with a 122 Leslie in a home of an older couple, whom were moving to a nursing home together. The man who owned the organ, I could tell was heartbroken that the organ was leaving his home, and it almost kept me from buying it. I know how things can be sentimental. But I promised him the organ would be cared for, and not re-sold. I keep in touch with the older couple, and let them know the organ is still doing well! It was a true rare find for me. It's a solid 10 out of 10!

If you do your homework (internet research, etc) it becomes easy to use but also challenging. With the flick of a button who can change the sound a lot!

A great instrument, complete polyphony, great keyboard action, easy triggering. Scanner chorus-vibrato, touch responsive percussion, drawbars, mechanical presets, bought with bench, foot pedals and leslie 147. No midi added, but hey, how needs it! You can play anything with this baby!

The classical Hammond sound, works well from rock to jazz, blues to pop, classical, etc. If you want dynamics you've gotta use the expression pedal and leslie switch.

Very reliable, little maintenance is required (yearly oiling) and nearly all problems are resolvable. Only real tip, find a good tech in case you don't have a good knoledge of electronics, dont mess with it! Easier to repair than a modern keyboard.

I've got a great local tech and the guys on the internet are great! Everyone (or nearly) is very friendly when it comes down to fixing a Hammond. Considering that these instruments haven't been made for 30 years , you can still find spares and some great techs around.

Money depending I'd buy a whole lot of them! I own several vintage units such as the minimoog, rhodes, dx7, etc. I've been playing for several years, I don't think I hate a single thing of these instruments other than the cost(!), a pity they're out of production... The B3 is uncomparable. The B3 makes music and I hope anyone who truely wishes it (I was wanting it since I was 16 - 9 years ago!) can buy one!

Simple, solid user interface that takes a lot of abuse. Presets are cool, so are drawbars. The crafty make their presets their own by digging in the back of the organ and moving the wires around. Manual? What's that for??

Use your whole arm to hold keys down.... built in vibrato and chorus - one knob - two switches. Percussion is nice too. Don't need MIDI - this thing is a wall of sound all by itselt.

MOST VERSATILE SOUNDING INSTRUMENT EVER. Also the most haunting, most funky, hardest rocking, softest speaking. It does not play like a piano. HINT - USE HIGH QUALITY TUBES, not Sovtek, Ruby or Svetlana. Look for Mullards or Amperex Bugle Boy's.

Well, there are two ways to look at this. It is built like a brick outhouse. But, after 40 years, it does need some work. Don't let anyone tell you a lie - it can always be repaired. I am a service technician and I work on these all day. I love working on them and can build a B-3 in my sleep. Great design. VERY giggable. ;)

Customer support - - 40 years old - - hmmm - - schematics are readily available, and so are talented service folks. Parts are super easy to get.

Well, it's hard to lose a B-3, unless you have mental issues. If it were stolen (which has happened, so don't be too confident leaving it unattended backstage or something) I would hunt this particular B-3 down to the ends of the earth. I like THIS B-3. They are all different, and after owning 60 Hammond organs, and playing even more, I finally found one worth settling on. I record with it every day in my studio, and I love to play it.

Turn it on and go, it does require some thought and and skill to bring out the best

What is polyphony, is that like having too many wives??
Lay a 2 x 4 across ALL the keys, they will sound off

Use a 122 leslie and you can drive it as nasty as you want, use a 900 series leslie and you will lose quality but get real loud!!

used to carry my beat up old C3 upside down on a two wheeled dolly.
I was a kid then and didn't know you were supposed to oil the thing.
30 years later it still works fine.
The olnlytroube I ever had was when a burgler was hiding in the roof above a club we were in fell through the ceiling landing on the C3 and broke a couple of keys

I have never had to have one repaired. The cords are unique and you have to learn how to fix them yourself

As others have said, there is nothing like a Hammond.
Some real deals can be had on C2, or B2 and then add a Trek II percussion unit for a couple hundred bucks.
Don't forget The a100 is identical to a B3 but with a cabinet and internal speaker.
It is also VERY easy to go inside the B or C and add a 1/4 inch output. Mine is modified this way so I can use the Leslie Preamp which allows me to play my JV90 through the Leslie in clubs thatare too small to get the C into

This review is a bit odd because I'm not a keyboardist, but spent years standing next to a B-3 and some fine players! (Actually, when we rehearsed at my place, I'd fiddle with the B-3 when everyone went home). http://www.pnwbands.com/trolly.html

In the hands of a good player these fine old instruments are pretty straight forward to use. Simple, no midi, synth or other interfaces.

The action is great. I saw Deep Purple's keyboardist play what must have be 1/64th notes and each was distinct and clear. Over the years I have seen guys hook up multiple Leslies, amps, etc. But except for the Leslies, these had to be specially spliced in. The B-3 is made to ONLY hook up to a Leslie.

Its all been said. Once you hear one, you never forget the funky B-3 sound. I first heard the Howard Roberts Quartet in the early 60s with a B-3, later Jimmy Smith's album used to rock me to sleep at night. Its one of a kind. There are a multitude of sounds from bluesy funky to jazz to gospel to straight church accompanyment that cannot be duplicated electronically.

Over the years I never saw one break down during a gig. Although I did see the back fall off one from the front of a high stage barely missing a kid below it! These things were probably designed expecting them to be placed in houses, theatres churches, etc. But they're built like Hummers and go anywhere. I pointed out to the keyboard player one day that his B-3 was sitting on the runway next to the plane in the rain at Ketchikan airport in Alaska. The next day he fired it up in Seattle...no problem!

Huh?

Many of these other reviews talk about the weight of a B-3. Take it from someone who helped carry one to all kinds of gigs. Up stairs, around tight corners, high stages, mobile stages, etc. IT WAS WORTH THE SWEAT. If I was approached by a competent B-3 player today who wasn't loaded or drunk, I'd gig with him/her in a minute!

I have a 1955 B-3.

The cool thing about the hammond is that polyphony isn't an issue. The keyboard action is smooth. You can play a gliss and not worry about your fingers getting cut. My B3 has a fisher reverb which i never use.The tremelo and chorus functions fatten up the sound a bit. I'm thinking of adding a midi kit so I can control my modules.

Drawbar technology is one of the best I've ever come across for manipulating sounds. The Hammond organ works best for just about any style of music. I play a B3 in church and it rocks.

I've never had any problems with my B3. When i got it it was very well taken care of.

The original hammond company is long gone. But there are organ reapairmen like Al Goff who do great work.

I have two but if it were lost or stolen I'd track the guy down. A hammond B3 organ with two Leslie speakers is one of the most expressive instruments i've ever played. Nothing comes close.

No software here! That's the beauty of it! And there's none out there yet that will make this sound. One of the things that makes this beast what it is, is that if you line 10 of em' up in a row they'll each sound different. You don't use a Hammond B3, you slip into it like an old well worn baseball glove.

Well...you've only got ten fingers and your nose...and all of them can make a sound at one time. Not a recommendation just a fact.

Blues and Jazz...is there anything else? If you don't know what I'm talkin about, do yourself a favor and go get a Jimmy Smith, Lonnie Smith, Jimmy McGriff, etc. CD....

My BV (with percussion)was buily in 46 and still travels with me to every gig. My CV was also built in 46 (also with percussion) and works about two hours a night. Nuff Said....

There are a lot of good sources for parts, and accessories, and info. VintageOrgan.com, Goff, BT Productions....but I'm lucky enough to have a tech here in Northern CA, who's old enough to have actually been trained by the Hammond folks back in the 60's.

If it were stolen I'd hunt the clown down! Nice thing is...at 400 pounds it would kill most crooks, who are lazy anyway.